Framed
by jennaphine
Summary: What if Noah was right and Eli really was the killer? What if Kieran was never with Piper? What if Eli set up the perfect plan to frame Kieran? Starts off at Blessed Sisters in episode 2x12. Slight alternate history at the beginning and then the rest of the story is 100% fictional and my own ideas.
1. Choosing Sides

Emma stood there: trembling, gun in hand, holding back tears. Eli stood to her left and Kieran her right. Eli's arm was bleeding and he was holding a bloody knife in his hand as well. They had been in this same formation for a few minutes trying to figure out who to trust and what actually happened.

"Emma, you should know me well enough by now. I'm not the killer," Eli continued to beg her to believe him. "Kieran _stabbed_ me. He saw that I followed him here and stabbed me so that I wouldn't ruin his plan. He thought I was dead, but I wasn't. I faked it and called the police. They're on their way here now. And Kieran doesn't have a single scratch on him. I don't think that's a coincidence."

"For all we know, you stabbed yourself," Kieran retorted.

"Emma, you know that restraining order with the girl from Atlanta? That's Kieran's fault. He told her mom I was taking naked pictures of her and posting them online."

"Because you were!" Kieran gestured at Eli angrily.

"No, that was you!" Eli protested. "Emma, I came to Lakewood last October to get revenge on Kieran, but not like this. And think about it: Kieran just happens to know what room you and Audrey are in, and on top of that, remember when we snuck into that model home? The one that burned down? Clearly the killer followed us there and I couldn't have started that fire if I was inside with you the entire time. I never left your sight. And the sheriff said that the fire was started deliberately."

"Eli, I—" Emma paused.

"Let me finish," Eli pleaded. "Kieran probably didn't want me to get close to you because it would prevent you two from getting closer and having him gain your trust. He needed your trust to pull this all off. You were his _in_. His source of information."

"Enough, Eli. You're making false accusations. Emma's not going to buy into that, are you Emma?" Kieran turned and looked at his girlfriend. Suddenly worry filled his eyes when he saw she didn't have a response right away.

"Eli has a point, I'm sorry Kieran. You have no alibi for that night. And Eli was with me the entire time so it couldn't have been him," Emma gasped as the realization hit her. "All signs point to you."

"Emma, please. You have to believe me. I love you," Kieran said and headed toward her. Eli ran towards Kieran with the knife and attempted to stab him. But Kieran's reflexes were quick and he turned the knife back on him, stabbing him in the abdomen. Eli dropped.

Emma screamed, tears welling in her eyes before pouring down her cheeks. She backed away from Kieran and stood next to Audrey. The gun was now pointed towards Kieran, indirectly ordering him to stay away.

"Come any closer and I will shoot. That's a promise."

Kieran was panicking. He now held the bloody knife previously wielded by Eli, and after a few moments of Emma and Kieran having an uneventful stand-off, the police arrived. At that point everything happened so fast. One minute it was "Kieran Wilcox, you are under arrest" and the next thing he knew he was on the ground, knife knocked across the floor. Kieran was suddenly on his way to prison for murder and he didn't know what to do. After everything he and Emma had been through, not even she believed him. He was scared to death for what might happen to him, but he could at least sleep at night knowing that Eli was dead and Emma and the rest of her friends and family were safe.

Two prisoner escort officers ushered Kieran down the hallway to his cell. His hands were cuffed together with a chain linking down to the cuffs around his ankles. He took small steps as not to stumble over on his way there. But he was immediately interrupted by another officer entering the hallway from another room.

"Wilcox. You have a phone call," he said.

The officers brought him back into the previous room. It was a small room, only a little wider than the hallway and it had three payphones lined up against one wall with small wall dividers in between each one, with stools placed in front of each phone booth as well.

Kieran picked the phone up off the switch hook and held it up to his ear.

"You thought it was over, didn't you?" The voice spoke. "Well guess what? I'm just getting started. See you soon, Kieran."

Those words played over and over in his head, tormenting him for weeks. He wanted to warn Emma, or anybody really. But he was already pegged as the killer and nobody would believe a word he says. All he could do was wait until the bloodshed started up all over again.


	2. Settling In

Lakewood was a peaceful place once again. Emma and Audrey were closer than ever, and Emma made amends with Eli. Emma always thought Eli was sweet, but she was with Kieran and didn't want to break things off with him for his cousin. But now that she knew Kieran was the killer, Emma finally decided to give Eli a chance.

Noah and Audrey were also back together as a dynamic duo and she was even co-hosting _The Morgue_ with him. They opened up a new chapter simply called "Aftermath". They talked about the final showdown between Eli, Emma and Kieran, as well as how everyone was recovering now that everything was over. They also spent many episodes speculating his motive because none of them could figure out the why. The consensus so far was that Kieran was secretly seeing Piper and losing her destroyed him; made him lose his sanity. So he wanted to exact revenge. Zoe, Jake, Mr. Maddox... they were all collateral damage. Killed by association. And that made it hurt even more, knowing that there was no rhyme or reason why they had to die. It was all just a game to hurt Emma and Audrey and make them feel responsible.

Brooke was living with the sheriff and Stavo now that her father was dead. Her mother was still in rehab and Miguel insisted staying with he and his son was the much better alternative. Brooke lost the big house and the bedroom sized closet, but after everything that happened none of that mattered to her. None of the material stuff made a difference. Her and Stavo were closer than ever after she got stabbed in the theatre and honestly, all she needed was him. He was there for her every time she needed a friend or a shoulder to cry on and she didn't feel so alone anymore.

* * *

Emma and Eli were at her house, lying on the couch. For the first time in months Emma felt completely safe and she wasn't hallucinating or having anxiety attacks. But she was still having dreams—not about the murders, but about Kieran. She would wake up feeling guilty for having him arrested even though she had no reason to. He was a murderer, a psychopath.

"So Emma, how have you been sleeping lately? Any better?" Eli asked her.

"I'm still having dreams. Fewer of them, of course. But they're still there and that's the problem."

Eli kissed Emma's cheek and fit his fingers in between hers. "That's understandable given what happened, Emma. You trusted him and he betrayed you. He played you and me. It's going to take some time to fully process what happened and for your subconscious to deal with it. In the meantime, let's just enjoy our time together."

"I think I can do that," Emma said, smiling at him.

Eli pulled Emma down on top of him and kissed her again, on the lips this time. She sunk into the kiss, allowing it to progress into something deeper. She felt stupid to have passed up the opportunity to be with someone as sweet as Eli just to be with Kieran. She felt like a fool for loving him. But that love immediately turned to hatred once she found out the truth.

Emma pulled away from the kiss before they took things too far. After all, they were out in the open. Her mom could walk in any minute.

"So your mom... Where exactly is she? I haven't seen her around lately."

"She uh, kinda skipped town. After she got enough money and after your mom said I could stay here with you guys until the end of school she went back to Atlanta."

"How'd your mom get enough money to move back to Atlanta? I thought you guys were strapped for cash," Emma said.

"No idea," Eli said casually. "My mom has her ways. She doesn't exactly have a clean record either."

"Gotta make money somehow, I guess," Emma laughed half-sarcastically. She didn't want to sound rude about it, but at the same time she was starting to wonder if the entire Hudson family had trouble with the law.

Eli and Emma lied there silently for a few minutes before either of them decided to speak again.

"Hey, so prom is coming up. If you're up for going, I'd be totally interested," Eli mentioned.

"Um, duh," Emma laughed at the thought of not going. "I've only been waiting my entire life for this."

"What colour of dress?"

"Hm..." Emma trailed off, thinking for a minute. "I guess anything but purple. Kieran's favourite colour was purple and I do _not_ want to be thinking about him at prom."

"Good call." Eli chuckled.

"Alright, now what do you say we get going to school?"

"We're already going to be late. Why not just skip first period entirely?" Eli smiled at her.

"Oh no, you're not going to convince me to skip. We've missed enough school this year with all the crap that's been going on. We have less than 3 months left. It'll fly by, I promise. Then you can spend as much time with me as you want." Emma kissed Eli quickly before getting up off the couch.

Eli followed suit and the two grabbed their bags and headed out the door so that Emma could drive the both of them to school.

Although Emma had to learn to adjust to all the changes in her life as of late—Eli moving in, Brooke living with Stavo, finally fixing her relationship with her mom and Audrey, and most important: having Kieran gone from her life—she knew that everything would work itself out. And she now had Eli by her side through all of it.

In the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but think about her and Kieran's relationship. She was with him since near the start of the school year. She still missed parts of him and how they were together. But she reminded herself that everything that happened between them was all a lie. And that put her conscience at bay for a little while.


	3. Suspicion Resurfaced

Kieran sat in his cell looking up at the ceiling. He had been in prison for a month and it already felt like eternity. A life sentence was starting to feel daunting and up until this point it hadn't registered in his mind that he might actually be stuck in here forever. If he was lucky evidence would come forward proving his innocence. Until then all he could do was wait.

Feeling that kind of betrayal from both a family member and your girlfriend cut deep. He knew Eli was troubled, so him falling over the edge like that wasn't a complete shock, but Emma... He thought she loved him and trusted him no matter what. Kieran had Emma's back since the day they met and he thought the feeling was mutual. But he was sadly mistaken.

* * *

"Brooke," Emma said as she approached her blonde friend from down the hall. "I know this is a weird question, but would you happen to know if your dad had business with Eli's mom?"

"I don't know, Em. Why?" Emma got a vibe from Brooke that she wasn't in the mood to talk today.

The two were standing at Brooke's locker in between first and second period. Emma also noticed that Stavo wasn't hanging around. Lately she wouldn't have been caught anywhere without him.

"I, um... I was talking with Eli this morning. He said his mom left town and moved back to Atlanta. Apparently she came into some money but he doesn't know how she got it. And your dad did have some shady business with Jake that never got finished. Or at least, not by him."

"Sorry, Em, but I don't know anything. I wish I could help."

"It's fine," Emma said. "By the way... where's Stavo? You two are usually joined at the hip."

Brooke slouched back against her locker door and sighed. "We're not speaking right now. Or at least, I'm not speaking with him."

"You guys are fighting?"

"Yeah, it's just about prom," Brooke said. "I brought it up last night because I need to buy a dress before the good ones are all gone, but Stavo doesn't even want to go to prom."

"Are you serious? He knows how much prom means to you." Emma shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's not important to him. I just don't want to go alone, and I definitely don't want to go with some random guy. Stavo is my boyfriend and I want to go with him."

"I'm sure he'll come around, Brooke. Maybe try talking to him again and explain why it's so important to you. You could even pull a sympathy card if you need to. I mean, you did almost die a few weeks ago."

"Emma... you are _evil_. I like it," Brooke said, smirking at her.

The bell rang for class to start and the two friends parted ways. Emma's next class was with Stavo and she figured that she could help Brooke out by saying something to him. She sat down in the seat next to him and as soon as Stavo acknowledged her, she went in for the kill.

"So, I heard you and Brooke had a bit of a disagreement."

"Yeah, she's super adamant on going to prom, but I don't think we should. I know how much she wants to go, but with everything that's happened, it just doesn't feel right."

"Prom is the time to celebrate, Stavo. We're all survivors. You deserve a special night with her. She's been through so much this year, and she wants to go to prom with you more than anything. Don't let another thing get taken away from her."

"You know what? You're right. Brooke's special to me and she's had so many bad things happen to her. She deserves a nice prom. Thanks, Emma," Stavo said, a slight grin appearing on his face. "And since we're giving advice, I think there's something off about Eli. I know you two are together and Kieran's the one responsible for all these murders, but I'd keep an eye on him. He gives off bad vibes."

"Eli's a good guy. He's just had a bad upbringing. His mom wasn't exactly mom of the year, and with Kieran messing with him this past year, I don't blame him if he's a little off. He might do or say some strange things, but he has good intentions. Give him a chance."

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy. I'm just saying... keep an eye on him."

"Thanks," Emma said in a sort of sarcastic tone. "I'll keep that in mind."

When class was over Emma texted Eli to tell him that she was going home for the rest of the day. If Stavo thinks that Eli is acting strange then that means he's told or is telling other people the same thing. Everything was finally starting to feel okay again and now Eli is being picked on.

Eli walked home to meet up with Emma. Emma barely ever skipped class, and after she made a big deal about skipping this morning, something must have been wrong.


	4. All Signs Point Elsewhere

Eli ran in through the front door and up the stairs to Emma's room. He found her lying on the bed, a blanket pulled over her body. Eli approached her before speaking to let her know he was there without startling her.

"Emma, are you okay?" Eli finally asked.

"I've been better," she answered. "I just don't know what to do, Eli."

Eli narrowed his eyes at her in confusion and also in intrigue. "What do you mean?"

Emma rolled onto her back and let out a sigh. She propped herself up on the pillow that was just under her head. "Things were finally starting to feel okay again. People just can't leave things in the past. Kieran's gone, he's the killer. But people are still weary of you. Stavo told me to keep an eye on you. I told him I didn't think it was necessary—that you were a good kid, just misunderstood..." she trailed off.

"Let people think what they want. You know me, and you know I would never do anything to hurt you. You said it yourself, Kieran's the killer. You don't need to worry about it anymore. The bloodshed is done."

"I know you're right, it's just... having people be accusatory about you like that... it hurts. You already went through this suspect bullshit, I don't want you to go through that again. It's not fair," she explained.

"No, it's not fair. But I have tough skin. It's not your burden to bear, so please, stop worrying about me. About them," he smiled at her and paused for a moment. "Can I join you?"

Emma nodded and shifted over in the bed, making room for Eli. He climbed up and settled down beside her, playing with her hair with one hand and holding one of her hands with his other. Soon after, they both fell asleep.

* * *

After school, Noah and Audrey were at his house finishing up recording another episode of _The Morgue_. Audrey sat with a puzzled look on her face, deep in thought. Ever since Kieran was arrested she couldn't help but feel weird about it. All signs pointed to Kieran, but she wasn't entirely convinced it was him. Noah noticed how spaced out she was and decided to interrupt.

"Audrey. Earth to Audrey," he said, waving his hand in front of her face. She jolted a little.

"Sorry, I was just thinking again," she apologized.

"It wasn't your theory about Kieran again, was it?" Noah gave her a look of worry and frustration mashed into one.

"Maybe," she admitted. "Noah, I can't help but think that something's not right about this."

"Why can't you just accept that he's the killer? I was just as surprised as anyone. I was sure it was Eli, but we were proven wrong."

Audrey got up from her chair and started pacing Noah's room. Noah was waiting for her to explode at him for disagreeing with her again.

"I just don't know if it really is him. It's easy to put the blame on him since there's so much evidence to back it up. Sure he's mysterious, but you weren't there when he got arrested. You didn't see the way he was acting," Audrey went on. "All he did the entire time was beg Emma to believe him. He looked scared. And when he approached Emma, Eli tried to jump him."

"He probably jumped him to protect Emma. If a killer was coming toward me I'd hope someone attacked them too."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Kieran was _unarmed_ , Noah. Emma had a gun pointed at him. If Kieran is the killer do you really think he would be stupid enough to attack Emma with his bare hands? If he tried anything Emma would have shot him."

"I don't know Audrey. It seems like a bit of a stretch."

"Okay, then how about this: Brooke came up to me in the hallway and told me that Emma was asking her if she knew anything about Eli's mom doing work for her dad. She said Eli's mom moved back to Atlanta, but the whole reason why they moved here in the first place was because they had no money and Sheriff Hudson's house was a free place to stay."

"Shady business between Eli's mom and Brooke's dad doesn't mean Eli is the killer. You're trying to connect dots that don't go together."

"No, I'm not!" Audrey raised her voice. "Emma probably asked Eli about it and he said he didn't know. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked Brooke. What if Eli lied?"

Noah slunk back further into his chair trying to absorb everything Audrey was saying. He wanted to be objective about it, but the truth was that he just didn't agree with her.

"I'm just not convinced. And even if Eli did lie, so what? What does that have to do with Kieran?"

"At Blessed Sisters, Eli said that Kieran was the one who burned down the model home when he and Emma were there. Obviously it wasn't Eli considering the fact that he was inside with Emma the entire time. But what if his mom did it?" Audrey explained. "Brooke's dad was going to pay Jake to do it, but the job never got done, so what if he hired Eli's mom?"

"It's an interesting thought, Audrey, but unless you can prove that then it's a dead end."

"Then I guess I'll have to prove it," Audrey muttered as she was on her way out of the room. She knew exactly where to start, but she would need a favour from Emma first.


	5. Investigation Time

Emma met Audrey downstairs in the kitchen after Audrey texted her asking to talk. They sat down at the kitchen table adjacent to each other. Audrey seemed worried so Emma cut right to the chase and asked what was wrong.

"Is Eli here?" Audrey asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, he's here, but he's upstairs sleeping. Why are you whispering?"

Audrey looked around the room, her paranoia taking over. "I know this sounds crazy and I don't want to upset you, but I'm a little worried about this whole 'Kieran is the killer' thing. I know you believe he is, but is it really so crazy to think maybe he's innocent? You saw the way he pleaded to you that he was innocent. You saw how scared he was."

"I know how it looked, but given the options Kieran did look a lot more guilty than Eli. Everyone has been giving him this bad rap because he's a little weird and had some trouble with the police. He's a good guy, Audrey."

"Fine. But Brooke told me you asked about his mom working with her dad. So you're at least curious about something and Eli obviously said he didn't know anything about it. I'm not accusing him of lying, but maybe check his phone and go through his conversation with his mom. It's a possibility he might know something about the money," Audrey said.

"Thanks, Audrey. I'll think about it."

"Yes, I'll take it. Thank you, Emma. Now, I have to go meet Noah. I sort of ran off when I was with him earlier," she explained.

* * *

Brooke and Stavo were at home in her room. She still hadn't spoke to him all day and he needed to confront her about it. He thought back to his conversation with Emma this morning and decided to just apologize.

"Brooke," he started. She rolled over in her bed to face him. "Look, I'm sorry. I screwed up. You were right, I had no reason to say no to taking you to prom. After everything that's happened it just didn't sit well with me. Celebrating so soon after all these murders... I couldn't stomach it."

"But...?" Brooke encouraged him to continue.

"But, I talked to Emma this morning and I had a change of heart. I realized that I was an idiot for wanting to take prom away from you. I know how much you've been through this year and you need something good to happen. Prom only happens once, so I want to make it special for you."

"So what you're saying is... we're going?" she questioned, a smile starting to form on her face.

"That's what I'm saying." Stavo smiled back and climbed onto the bed. He brushed his fingers through her hair and kissed her.

"I'm glad you decided to change your mind. Brooke Maddox doesn't go stag to prom."

Stavo didn't respond to Brooke. He spaced out and started thinking about what he said to Emma. She was either brainwashed or in denial if she didn't believe that Eli was suspicious.

"Hey Brooke," Stavo spoke after a few minutes of silence. "What do you think of Eli?"

"Cute. Kinda creepy. He stares at us a lot. I've seen him watching us from afar a few times. Why?"

"He just gives me a bad feeling. I know Emma's your best friend and she's with Eli, but I don't trust him. Something's wrong with him, but I think Emma's too blind to really notice. She knows he's a little quirky, but I see more than that."

"Psycho Kieran is the killer, Stav. Eli's harmless. He's just an odd kid looking for a place to fit in. Emma will have him trained in no time," Brooke grinned.

"I'm just saying... what if Kieran _isn't_ the one who committed all these murders? Let's say that he didn't, and that Eli was the one who did all of this. Then what?"

"Then we'd all be screwed and Emma would be living with a psychopath."

* * *

After Audrey left Emma's house, Emma sneaked upstairs and slipped Eli's phone out of his bag while he was still napping. She needed to know for sure if Eli was telling the truth or not. She wanted to trust him, especially after going on a spiel about how everyone else needed to stop suspecting him. But she's now had two of her friends tell her to keep an eye on him, so maybe snooping wasn't such a terrible idea in the long run.

It took her six tried to get his password right, thus unlocking the phone. She went into his messages and found the conversation with his mom. There were so many messages that it took her a good couple of minutes to get to the date of the fire. She started reading from that evening and then scrolled down until she found a message that stood out to her.

 _Tina: I got the job done. Quinn will be paying me tomorrow night, but he wants us to leave town. He needs to cover this up and if we're around, there's a chance that he could get caught._

 _Eli: I think I have a way to make sure we can get the money and stay in town. Leave it to me._

Emma put the phone back in his bag and went back downstairs. She was shocked. Eli did lie to her about his mom. He knew how she got the money, and this also confirmed her suspicion that she made a deal with Brooke's dad. She'd have to tell Audrey.

Or should she? Sure, he lied about his mom, but that didn't mean he was guilty of anything. He's at most an accessory to whatever she did. Besides, she was trying to clear Eli's name. Confirming Audrey's suspicions would only make him look worse. But she also didn't want to look like a fool if Stavo and Audrey were right.

A small part in Emma's mind believed that Kieran was innocent, but she couldn't believe it was Eli either. He'd been so sweet to her, especially now that Kieran was gone. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Besides, there hasn't been a murder or even a disappearance. Not even a strange phone call. If Eli were the killer, he would've kept the bloodshed going. Eli hadn't even so much as mentioned the incident at Blessed Sisters since he got out of the hospital. They even had matching scars for crying out loud. Eli went out of his way to make Emma happy and it felt wrong for her to even think about him being responsible for all of this. She decided it was in her best interest to put everything in the back of her mind and forget about it for now.


	6. Denial

Emma woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweats. She had a dream that Kieran escaped from prison and showed up at her house. But he peeled back his face like a mask and revealed himself as Eli. _It was me all along,_ he had said. _You thought it was Kieran but really it was me. You figured it out, but you were so afraid of the truth that you convinced yourself it wasn't true. Now you're dead._ Eli stabbed Emma and that's what caused her to wake up from the dream.

Eli woke up from his sleep due to Emma shooting up into a sitting position. He noticed that she was panting and looked frightened so he put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug to comfort her. But Emma jolted at his touch, not expecting him to have noticed her.

"Emma, are you okay?" Eli asked her.

"Shit, sorry Eli. I didn't mean to jump like that. Just a bad dream."

"It's okay, Em. What did you dream about that freaked you out so much?"

Emma shifted so that she was facing Eli's direction. "Just Kieran somehow escaping from prison. He showed up here and stabbed me. Then I woke up." She blushed, though Eli couldn't see. Even though she lied, it still sounded silly when she said it out loud.

"You don't need to worry about Kieran. He's in prison for a long, long time. And if he ever did get out I'd kick his ass. I'll keep you safe, Emma. I promise."

Eli kissed Emma's forehead and told her to go back to sleep. She knew that it was just a dream and dreaming that Eli was the killer obviously didn't mean he was. But she knew that her subconscious was telling her that she needed to tell Audrey what she read on Eli's phone. She wanted to ignore it, pretend it never happened. But unfortunately it did happen and now she either had to live with it and possibly be eaten alive by the truth, or she could tell Audrey and see what happens. And she wasn't keeping secrets from Audrey anymore. Secrets are what caused all of this in the first place.

* * *

In the morning when Emma got to school her and Eli parted ways and she immediately went off to find Audrey before class. The longer she waited the more anxious she got about telling her about Eli and his mom.

Audrey was at her locker, no surprise there. She was just about to pick up her bag to go to class before Emma stopped her.

"Audrey, hey," Emma started. "I know you need to head to class, but I need to talk to you about Eli."

"I'm listening," Audrey shot Emma a slight smirk despite knowing Emma probably wasn't happy with the information she acquired given the look on her own face.

"I went through his phone like you suggested. He lied to me. He did know how his mom got the money, and she was working with Brooke's dad. I think they blackmailed him so that they could get the money and stay in Lakewood."

"You see, Emma. He can't be trusted. Just like I said," Audrey gloated for a moment before being quiet.

"He lied, but that doesn't mean he's untrustworthy. If she did burn down that house then maybe he didn't want to tell anyone so that she wouldn't get charged for arson. After all, it is his mom."

Audrey rolled her eyes at Emma. "But Emma... if Eli knew—" she stopped herself and lowered her voice. " _if Eli knew..._ then that means he either brought you there on purpose or he's insensitive and didn't think you needed to know that his mom almost killed you. His mom probably didn't even know you were there."

"I see your point, Audrey, but I'm still not convinced. I know it seems strange for him to lie about it, but I'm sure Eli has his reasons."

"Yeah, his reason being he might be the killer and is messing with you. He lived with Kieran, he knows his habits. It's not hard to pin all of that on someone like Kieran. He keeps to himself and there's a lot we don't know about him. But can you honestly say you know Eli better than Kieran? You dated Kieran for like six months and you've only known Eli for a few weeks."

"I respect your opinion, but I'm done arguing about it. I'm tired of having to defend Eli to everyone. I'll see you later," Emma scoffed and walked away angrily to first period.

Emma found herself in a very tough situation. She knew she should heed Audrey's warning, but she didn't want to choose sides. If Eli really was innocent then he would never forgive her for betraying him like that. But if he was the killer, then she had already betrayed Kieran's trust in her. Things couldn't possibly be anymore complicated right now.


	7. Digging Deeper

Audrey found Noah at lunch to go over things about Eli again. He said she needed more proof so she did. And now that she had a lead, she wasn't giving up until she knew the truth. If there was even a slight chance that Kieran was innocent, she needed to know; she needed to seek justice for him so that he didn't have to rot behind bars for the rest of his life.

"Noah! Noah!" Audrey called from across the cafeteria. He turned around and waited for her to catch up to him.

"Uh, hey Audrey. What's with all the commotion?"

She pulled Noah aside so that they were away from everyone else. She didn't want to risk anyone hearing her.

"You know how I said Emma was asking about Eli's mom? Well, I went over yesterday after I left your house the first time. She went through Eli's phone and found a conversation between him and his mom about doing some sort of task for Brooke's dad, just like I assumed."

"Alright, he lied. Did Emma confront him about it?"

"Gee Noah, great idea. 'Hey Eli, I snooped through your phone and noticed you lied to me about your mom. Did she happen to set that house on fire by chance? Just curious.' Yeah, sounds great," Audrey mocked him.

Noah studied Audrey's face. He could tell she was serious about finding out what happened and he understood why she felt the need to. But digging into this was either going to lead nowhere and drive her insane trying to find answers, or she would end up in a lot of trouble. If Eli really was the killer, it would be in Audrey's best interest to be careful of what she says to who.

"I don't mean to play Devil's Advocate again, but Eli knowing about something his mom did doesn't make him a suspect."

"No, I know. But I think I'm onto something. I just need to go have a chat with a special someone after school."

"If you think that's what's best I can come with you for moral support," Noah offered.

"I'll take you up on that. Meet me at my car in the parking lot after school, okay?"

"I'll see you then. Oh, and Audrey..." Noah trailed off for a moment. "Just don't be disappointed if you don't find the answers you're looking for."

* * *

Just as he said, Noah met Audrey by her car after last period. She wanted their destination to be a surprise so she didn't tell Noah where they were going.

"Can I ask you a question?" Noah piped up as they pulled out of the parking lot. "What if you are right? What if Kieran isn't the killer?"

"If Kieran isn't the killer then he'll be let out of jail. If he's innocent he doesn't deserve to be there."

"And what if Eli is the killer? Aren't you afraid of what he might do?"

Audrey stopped at the stop sign she was approaching and looked over at Noah. "I think you're a little paranoid. And yes, of course I'm worried about what might happen if my theory is right, but if I'm lucky it won't get to the point where something bad has to happen for the truth to come out."

"I hope you're right, Audrey," Noah said under his breath.

Once Noah realized where they were headed, he had mixed feelings about it. Audrey was bringing both of them to visit Kieran. On one hand he was excited and got a bit of a rush thinking about speaking to Kieran now that he was a convicted criminal. But on the other hand he was nervous. What if they found out the truth and he didn't like what he heard? Emma already didn't believe Kieran was innocent at the time, so why would she believe it if it came from one of them? How would they even warn Emma about Eli if it came to that? Noah had so many questions and he was sure that Audrey wondered all of the same ones too.

Ultimately Noah realized that in a situation like this, there was no way to know for sure what to do. There was no right or wrong approach. If something bad was going to happen, there was no way they would know and frankly, if something bad did happen it wasn't their fault. Some things are unpreventable.

Once they arrived at the penitentiary they both tensed up a bit. Even though Audrey believed Kieran was innocent, she wasn't sure what to expect. There was always a possibility she was dead wrong and had been falsely accusing Eli this entire time. Only time would tell.

Inside the prison two guards escorted them through a series of hallways. They then had to be put through a screening to check for any concealed weapons or anything that could cause harm. After that they were thrift searched and were taken to a waiting room.

"We're only letting you go in one at a time, for security purposes. We ask that you keep your hands away from the glass and only touch the phone."

"It'll just be me going in. I just need to ask Kieran a couple of questions," Audrey noted.

"Yeah, I feel much better waiting out here," Noah agreed.

"As you wish," one of the guards said.

The guards opened the door into the visiting room, allowing Audrey to enter. She was greeted by a brooding Kieran on the other side of the window. She waved at him awkwardly, not knowing what to expect.

She sat down and picked up the phone, taking a deep breath before putting it up to her ear. If she was lucky Kieran was innocent and willing to cooperate. She needed answers more than ever right now and if Kieran knew what was best for him, he would comply.

"Audrey," Kieran said with a bit of surprise resonating in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just going to cut to the chase," she started. "Look, I think you're innocent. Eli's shady and I don't trust him."

"You shouldn't trust him. Finally someone has some common sense," Kieran said. He exhaled deeply into the phone as if he felt some sort of relief from this news. "So, if you're so suspicious of Eli, why didn't you say anything back at Blessed Sisters?"

"I don't know, Kieran. And I'm sorry I didn't. I wish you didn't have to be stuck in here, I just didn't know what to say."

"How's Emma doing?" Kieran asked, very attentive now. "She probably hates me. I hate Eli for doing this to us."

"Emma's fine. But..." Audrey trailed off, afraid to tell him about her seeing Eli.

"But what, Audrey?"

"She's um... Eli and her..." she couldn't even find the words. It felt wrong to say it.

"Goddammit! That son of a bitch," Kieran yelled. "Was that his plan this entire time? What if he framed me so that he could have Emma for himself?"

Audrey shook her head. "But that wouldn't make sense. If Eli was with Piper, why would he continue the murders and tormenting Emma if he wanted to be with her?"

"Because he's a psychopath. He started something and fell for her in some twisted sort of way. But he knew he couldn't just stop everything. He needed someone to be held accountable for everything, so he pinned it all on me—the only person standing between Emma and him."

"That's actually kind of genius. Sick, but brilliant." Although Audrey was disgusted, she was also impressed.

"Look, you have to do something. Emma can't stay with him."

"Well that's a bit of a problem. I can't just flat out tell her because she won't believe me and she'll tell him. And... he's sort of living with her. Your aunt skipped town and Maggie said he could stay with them until school was done."

"Perfect..." Kieran muttered. "Wait, how did she leave town? I thought they didn't have money."

"That's what I came here to talk to you about," she started. "Emma asked Brooke if her dad had business with your Aunt and Emma found a text on Eli's phone confirming that he knew about her doing work with him. But Emma asked Eli about it and he said he didn't know how she got the money."

"Of course he lied to her. If he told her the truth it would make him look suspicious," Kieran explained. "I overheard them talking about it the day before everything happened. You know, when I got arrested. Anyway, Tina was the one who burned down the house. Not me. Eli blamed it on me so that he'd have more evidence against me. But he knew exactly who did it and how it happened."

"Well why didn't you say that when he accused you of doing it?" Audrey questioned.

Kieran scratched his head in frustration. "Because I panicked. I don't know..." His head fell into his hands and he looked like he was about to cry. "Emma didn't believe me anyway, so it wouldn't have made a difference."

Audrey leaned in closer. "Look, I'm doing the best I can. Noah's here with me and he knows what's been going on in my head, and if I tell him what you told me it'll match up with my theory and I'll have him willing to help. We're going to get you out of here, okay?"

"I trust you, Audrey. Just do me a favour and make sure Emma stays safe."

"I want her safe just as much as you do. I promise nothing will happen to her."


	8. Copycat or One in the Same?

Kieran sat for a moment absorbing in all the information Audrey gave him. He couldn't believe Emma was dating Eli. He needed her to know the truth: that Eli was the real killer. But he had no way to prove it to her. The only way he could help get the truth out was to assist Audrey in exposing Eli. As long as he had someone on his side there was still hope. Audrey knew that he was innocent, and now she had the information needed to create some form of suspicion. And if Noah was on board then all he needed was for them to leave Emma small hints.

Suddenly he remembered the phone call he got when he first arrived here. Surely he should warn them. Whether it was Eli or not, something was bound to happen, and maybe it would even benefit him in the long run. Making sure Emma and her friends were safe was his main priority, but he also desperately needed to get out of here.

"Hey, Audrey. After I got here there was a phone call for me. I have no idea if it was Eli or not, but it sure seemed like it," Kieran said to Audrey in attempts to share one last piece of vital information.

"What did they say?" she raised a brow showing that her interest peaked a little more.

"They said that this wasn't over and that they were just getting started. They said they'd see me soon."

"Fuck," Audrey mumbled. "If they meant what they said, then there's more bloodshed to be had in Lakewood. But if they said they would see you soon, then does that mean whatever they have planned will prove your innocence?"

Kieran sighed. When it came to the mystery of the killer, anything they said could mean a number of things.

"I honestly don't know, Audrey. I mean, I hope I get out of here. But if it means that someone dies... maybe I'm better off in here."

"Eli or whoever else might be doing this... they're not going to stop until they've accomplished whatever it is they're looking to do. You being in prison isn't going to change that."

"It's terrifying not knowing the truth. I don't know who talked to me on the phone. And I don't know what would be worse: whether it was Eli or if it was someone else. All I know for sure is that Eli is responsible for all of the murders this past year." Kieran's face was stone cold, but you could see the fear in his eyes he had for all of his friends.

"You know, I think you might have it pretty good in here. You're safer than everyone else. If the person from the phone call is Eli, I hope to god your theory about him being in love with her is true, otherwise she's in grave danger. And if it is someone else, then Eli's probably harmless. Disturbed, but now harmless nonetheless. However, the rest of us could be sitting ducks. There's just no way of knowing what's going to happen," Audrey explained.

"We'll figure this out together. For now just focus on exposing Eli. And watch your back. Take care of yourself and call here if you find anything else out. Noah too."

"I'll be in touch," Audrey said and hung up the phone. She got up from her seat and walked towards the door solemnly, taking one last glance at Kieran before exiting the room.

Noah stood there with bated breath awaiting Audrey's return. As soon as he saw her come out of the room he jumped out of his seat, ready to hound her with questions. But he immediately lost his excitement when he saw how worried she looked.

"So, what happened...?" Noah was afraid to ask now.

"Two very major things were revealed to me, Noah and I'm kind of freaking out. A part of my mind is victory dancing and the other part is shitting its pants."

"Sounds serious, please elaborate."

"I'll explain when we get to the car," she insisted.

Audrey and Noah picked up their phones on the way out of the prison and were escorted out by two different guards than the ones they walked with on the way in. As soon as they were outside, Audrey brisked over to her car and Noah followed suit. Once they were inside Noah was all ears.

"Okay, spill. Now," Noah demanded. The anticipation was killing him.

"Kieran confirmed that Eli's mom was the one who set that fire. He found out right before everything went batshit at the children's home."

"So you were right," Noah muttered. "Audrey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. It's just, with everything that's going on I—" Audrey cut Noah off mid sentence, not needed an apology.

"Honestly Noah, don't worry about it. Kieran swears up and down Eli is the killer. But what he did tell me that freaked me out was that he got a call the day he got in there. Whether it was from Eli or not, I have no idea. But it was someone posing as the killer or perhaps a new killer. They told Kieran that it wasn't over and that they were just getting started. So now we have an even bigger mess on our hands."

Noah was speechless. Could there really be another killer? If Eli was the killer, did he have another accomplice? Or was Eli maybe innocent too? But if Kieran swears Eli is the one who did all of this, then maybe innocence was out of the question for him. It scared Noah to death that the only way of knowing for sure was if one of three things happened: Eli confesses or reveals himself to be the killer, if Eli isn't the killer then the real killer has to reveal themselves, or the third option was that someone has to die in a situation that would rule Eli out. But there's always that slight chance that if there is a second killer, Eli might not even know they exist.


End file.
